Interested in poultry science? Considering a career working with horses? Interested in the ins and outs of raising cattle or swine? The 726-acre Todd Agricultural Research Center provides SFA agriculture students with opportunities to gain valuable experience through research projects and community outreach events. And, this exceptional facility is conveniently located less than 15 minutes from campus!

The purpose and key initiatives of the Todd Agricultural Research Center include providing: 

  • quality, hands-on instruction to undergraduate students
  • a place for undergraduate and graduate students to conduct research
  • and services to local agricultural producers, FFA, 4-H members and industry stakeholders.

Resources, facilities and research centers

The Todd Agricultural Research Center is home to several unique facilities, including:

Beef Center

The Beef Center provides students with hands-on experience in cattle production. Each year, students organize public and community events such as the Purple Premium Cattle Sale, the Artificial Insemination Clinic, Breakfast on The Farm and the Heifer and Bull Development Program

To learn more about the Beef Center, contact Dr. Erin Brown at browneg@sfasu.edu.

Broiler Research Center

Through the Broiler Research Center, the SFA poultry science program works closely with the poultry industry to discover, evaluate and interpret better methods of poultry production. The center consists of four solid-sidewall, tunnel-ventilated broiler houses, and it produces more than 100,000 commercial broiler chickens in seven weeks.

The Broiler Research Center was funded through generous donations from poultry companies such as Pilgrim's Pride, Tyson Foods and Sanderson Farms, plus additional anonymous donations. The revenue generated by the Broiler Research Center is used to sustain the center’s operation and to provide scholarships for SFA poultry science students. 

For more information about the Broiler Research Center, contact Dr. Joey Bray at jbray@sfasu.edu.

Equine Center

The 80-acre Equine Center is a fully equipped equestrian facility that provides learning opportunities for SFA students – and valuable services and resources to area horse owners.

Programs and services offered at the Equine Center include boarding, breeding clinics and horse nutrition programs. The center is also home to student organizations such as the SFA Equine Club and several competitive riding and rodeo teams. 

Note: A signed liability waiver is required before you can participate in activities at the Equine Center.

Need more information?

For more information on Equine Center services, contact Dr. Stephanie Jones at jonesSL19@sfasu.edu.

Poultry Research Center

The Poultry Research Center allows the SFA poultry program to conduct poultry industry driven research investigating feed additives, poultry health products, nutrition and environmental stewardship, among other topics.

Facilities and resources available at the Poultry Research Center include:

  • 96-pen research test facility that holds 6,000 broiler chickens
  • research feed mill composed of a 3,000-pound feed mixer, California Pellet Mill, two 45-foot-tall feed elevators and automatic feed bagging/sewing system
  • two 12-pen egg laying research cages capable of housing of 48 egg laying hens
  • pilot processing facility with associated chicken slaughter/fabrication equipment to conduct meat yield research
  • 10,000-egg capacity, single-stage incubator and hatcher
  • multiple 250- to 300-egg incubators and hatchers.
  • 50-seat classroom
  • and a poultry selection and evaluation facility.

For research interests and related questions, please contact Dr. Joey Bray at jbray@sfasu.edu.

Silvopasture Demonstration Area

Thanks to a 2020 Conservation Innovation Grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture initiated the establishment of a 118-acre silvopasture demonstration area at the Walter C. Todd Agricultural Research Center.

“Silvopasture is an agroforestry practice that combines the production of trees with an understory component of forage for livestock,” said Jason Grogan, research associate with the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture.  

The demonstration area is unique in that it will provide landowners with insight into transitioning to a silvopasture system from a heavily forested area, as well as from bare pastureland.  

Learn more about the project.

Watch a virtual tour.

Silvopasture informational sheet.

Swine Center

The Swine Center provides students with the environment and resources they need to practice swine production theories and techniques learned in the classroom and to participate in hands-on learning experiences such as labs and demonstrations. The Swine Center is also home to the SFA Swine Show Team.

Facilities and resources available at the Swine Center include:

  • swine barn that includes a farrowing room with 10 crates, a nursery, a weaning room and a staging room.
  • total of eight outside sow pens with sheds.
  • and a total of 30 mature sows, 10 replacement gilts and three breeding boars.

The Swine Center produces show pigs for Texas 4-H and FFA youth. We have piglets available most of the year with litters produced for local county shows, State Fair, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Austin, San Angelo and the World Pork Expo. 

For more information, download an information sheet or contact Dr. John Michael Mehaffey at mehaffeyjm@sfasu.edu. You can also check out the Swine Center’s Facebook page.